Friends of our have a Northern Flicker nest in their yard. Cool!
Early Byrne Creek/South Slope Ramble To Beat the Heat
Temperatures are set to soar in the lower mainland of BC, so I moved my Byrne Creek/South Slope walk up to just after breakfast instead of my usual mid-day break.
Even at 8:30 am the sun was sizzling over Taylor Park Elementary
The Skytrain tracks provide a bit of shade
It’s always a few degrees C cooler in the ravine by the creek
Father’s Day Fish Release at Rice Lake, North Vancouver
The Seymour Salmonid Society and Metro Vancouver hosted the annual Father’s Day trout release at Rice Lake on Vancouver’s north shore.
This is a super event with lots of other stewardship groups represented. Great fun to see kids so excited about releasing fish — and, um, getting a chance to try fishing, too 
.
Now that’s a huge Seymour watershed 3D map!
Seymour Salmonid Society hatchery tour
The Seymour watershed provides a good chunk of Metro Vancouver’s drinking water, and is a pristine, protected area.
Heading down to the lake for the trout release
Fishing gear to borrow for free to try your hand. It’s great to see urban kids so excited to release fish, and yes, try to catch one, too!
Yumi waiting for a trout to release. She got one the last ones.
What a beauty!
Interesting hitchhiker as we walked the lake loop trail.
Pileated Woodpecker at Rice Lake
Shot this beauty near the parking lot at Rice Lake on Vancouver’s north shore.
Victoria Coast and Ferry
Some more shots as we headed up to the ferry from Victoria, BC, after last weekend’s SEHAB meeting.
Coast watcher. . .
Lots of deer right in town
Views of Mt. Baker in WA
Heading down to the shore to check out tide pools
A moody evening on the ferry back to the mainland
Rain — that means we must be getting close to home : – )
SEHAB Tours Victoria Stewardship Projects
The Salmonid Enhancement and Habitat Advisory Board to Canada’s Dept of Fisheries and Oceans held a 3-day meeting in Victoria, BC, last weekend. We had an opportunity to tour some local stewardship projects.
Cool remote instream fish monitoring system
Checking out fish ladders
Listening to an overview of what we’re going to see
Board members and local volunteers
It takes a lot of partners to make projects like this happen.
That’s a huge culvert blocking fish passage
Ian of the Penninsula Streams Society and also a SEHAB board member, explains the challenges of the project to install a stepped fish ladder. Planning, engineering, and fundraising are well underway.
Camping at Nairn Falls
I did an overnighter at Nairn Falls Provincial Park. Glad I got the tent up and a fire started before the rain began to fall.
Darn if I didn’t get my first camping injury in decades. I was sharpening the axe, and it was slick in the rain, and . . . nicked my thumb. Not a large cut, but deep.
Visiting Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village
We had a great time last week exploring the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village in Alberta. Wonderful collection of original buildings brought together on this site, and lots of period-authentic interpreters.
Yellow-Headed Blackbirds Near Merritt, BC
Saw lots of Yellow-headed Blackbirds at the Beaver Flats Conservation Area near Merritt, BC, a few days ago on my way out to the prairies.
Thanks, Baba, for the Embroidery – Still Miss You
One of the themes at the recent Editors Canada 2018 Conference in Saskatoon, SK, was indigenous issues, and several indigenous writers and editors spoke about the importance of “remember where you come from.”
This is where I come from.
An aunt found this embroidery, obviously meant for a Ukrainian men’s shirt, and she thought Baba must have embroidered if for me. So my aunt insisted that I take it, and when Yumi and I later drove up to the family farm, we visited Baba’s grave and I thanked her.
She lived a tough pioneer life for many of her years, and yet she had love and comfort for all.
And in the packet. . . It’s like she just walked away from it minutes ago . . .
